squarecut
Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2013
- Messages
- 183
Just finished my custom built mobile expandable MFT and thought I might share it with the FOG community.
My shop shares a two bay garage with one car. One bay houses all the shop equipment, most on wheeled carts to allow ease of transition into various working configurations utilizing the second bay. Needless to say, space is at a premium & I find it necessary to constantly try to get 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag. Instead of purchasing two MFT's for maximum working surface I decided to build a custom MFT that would fit my needs. I am a hobbyist, so mobility out of the shop was not a requirement.
I wanted a unit that would be as compact as possible and still house my TS-55, CT Midi Dust Collector, MFT accessories, custom accessories, guide rail components, and other MFT usable tools. I also wanted a rest platform for the TS-55 between cuts, vac hose & power cord management and fold away in-feed / out-feed extensions that would expand the working surface to that of two MFT's side by side.
Converting the unit from storage mode to full expanded size with all components in place takes less than ten minutes.
The following photos show the end result. Hope you find it interesting.
[size=24pt]See an improved modification to the dust extraction hose & power cord management on this unit as of 6/24/15 here
[/size]Unit standing in its designated shop storage location.
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Front view of unit in storage mode showing TS 55 rest tray, non-Festool tool storage and 3 drawers for component storage.
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Rear view of unit in storage mode showing Systainers for TS 55 & married vac hose/plug-it cord storage, CT Midi compartment with space for extra vac bags, vac power cord & mini-boom storage.
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Unit in basic mode for crosscutting operations.
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Unit in basic mode for crosscutting operations showing TS-55 pull out rest platform.
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View of custom outboard fitting with indexing holes for 1400 rail cut line placement between 20mm holes.
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Unit in basic mode with custom outboard fittings for rip cuts up to 48" using the 1400 rail & Qwas rail dogs.
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View showing 1400 rail using Qwas rail dogs in rip cut mode on a 42" board.
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View showing out-feed extension wing in storage compartment.
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View of extension wing folding out of storage compartment.
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View of extension wing in locked position.
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Rear View showing paired power cord /vac hose entering custom Mini-Boom
[attachimg=#]
Partial expanded mode with out-feed wing for off-cut support
[attachimg=#]
Partial expanded mode with out-feed wing showing off-cut fence for repetitive off cuts
[attachimg=#]
Full expanded mode with in-feed / out-feed wings
[attachimg=#]
View showing setup to rip a long board with unit in full expanded mode
[attachimg=#]
View showing variable placement horizontal support for working on panel edges
[attachimg=#]
My shop shares a two bay garage with one car. One bay houses all the shop equipment, most on wheeled carts to allow ease of transition into various working configurations utilizing the second bay. Needless to say, space is at a premium & I find it necessary to constantly try to get 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag. Instead of purchasing two MFT's for maximum working surface I decided to build a custom MFT that would fit my needs. I am a hobbyist, so mobility out of the shop was not a requirement.
I wanted a unit that would be as compact as possible and still house my TS-55, CT Midi Dust Collector, MFT accessories, custom accessories, guide rail components, and other MFT usable tools. I also wanted a rest platform for the TS-55 between cuts, vac hose & power cord management and fold away in-feed / out-feed extensions that would expand the working surface to that of two MFT's side by side.
Converting the unit from storage mode to full expanded size with all components in place takes less than ten minutes.
The following photos show the end result. Hope you find it interesting.
[size=24pt]See an improved modification to the dust extraction hose & power cord management on this unit as of 6/24/15 here
[/size]Unit standing in its designated shop storage location.
[attachimg=#]
Front view of unit in storage mode showing TS 55 rest tray, non-Festool tool storage and 3 drawers for component storage.
[attachimg=#]
Rear view of unit in storage mode showing Systainers for TS 55 & married vac hose/plug-it cord storage, CT Midi compartment with space for extra vac bags, vac power cord & mini-boom storage.
[attachimg=#]
Unit in basic mode for crosscutting operations.
[attachimg=#]
Unit in basic mode for crosscutting operations showing TS-55 pull out rest platform.
[attachimg=#]
View of custom outboard fitting with indexing holes for 1400 rail cut line placement between 20mm holes.
[attachimg=#]
Unit in basic mode with custom outboard fittings for rip cuts up to 48" using the 1400 rail & Qwas rail dogs.
[attachimg=#]
View showing 1400 rail using Qwas rail dogs in rip cut mode on a 42" board.
[attachimg=#]
View showing out-feed extension wing in storage compartment.
[attachimg=#]
View of extension wing folding out of storage compartment.
[attachimg=#]
View of extension wing in locked position.
[attachimg=#]
Rear View showing paired power cord /vac hose entering custom Mini-Boom
[attachimg=#]
Partial expanded mode with out-feed wing for off-cut support
[attachimg=#]
Partial expanded mode with out-feed wing showing off-cut fence for repetitive off cuts
[attachimg=#]
Full expanded mode with in-feed / out-feed wings
[attachimg=#]
View showing setup to rip a long board with unit in full expanded mode
[attachimg=#]
View showing variable placement horizontal support for working on panel edges
[attachimg=#]
